Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
June,  1911.  / 
Pharmaceutical  Legislation. 
273 
Manager  in  the  business  of  an  apothecary  or  pharmacist  or  of  re- 
taiUng  drugs,  chemicals,  and  poisons  or  to  compound  and  dispense 
the  prescriptions  of  physicians  either  directly  or  indirectly  without 
having  obtained  such  certificate."  Just  here  you  should  note  how 
complete  is  the  language  of  the  Act  in  the  use  of  the  words  "  com- 
pounding and  dispensing."  The  Pennsylvania  Board  takes  the  view 
that  compounding  is  limited  to  mean  the  assembling  or  mixing 
of  the  component  ingredients,  while  dispensing  includes  all  that  is 
necessary  to  the  act  of  filling  the  order  and  placing  it  in  the  hands 
of  the  purchaser. 
There  are  certain  exceptions  mentioned  in  this  Act  where  drugs 
may  be  dispensed  by  others  than  those  holding  certificates.  First, 
physicians  so  far  as  they  supply  their  own  patients ;  second,  makers 
and  sellers  of  patent  medicines,  and  third,  storekeepers  dealing  in 
and  selling  the  commonly  used  medicines  and  poisons. 
This  latter  exemption  has  been  the  subject  of  much  criticism 
and  it  seems  to  me  justly.  The  prime  object  of  the  law  being  to 
safeguard  the  community — it  seems  eminently  proper  that  the  sale 
of  poisons  at  any  rate  should  be  confined  tO'  the  competent  and 
qualified  pharmacist  so  that  every  sale  of  a  poison  would  be  subject 
to  the  same  degree  of  care  and  regulation  as  that  exercised  by  the 
pharmacist. 
The  Act  of  1887  after  defining  poison  as  any  drug,  chemical 
or  preparation  which,  according  to  standard  works  on  medicine  or 
materia  medica,  is  liable  to  be  destructive  tO'  adult  human  life  in 
quantities  of  60  grains  or  less,"  required  affixing  to  the  container 
a  label  containing  the  word  poison,"  the  name  of  the  article^ 
and  the  name  of  the  seller,  place  of  business  and  further  that  the 
seller  must  satisfy  himself  that  such  poison  is  to  be  used  for 
legitimate  purposes.  In  addition  the  pharmacist  must  keep  a  poison 
register  in  which  is  to  be  entered  in  the  case  of  sales  of  poison 
known  to  be  destructive  to  human  life  in  quantities  of  five  grains 
or  less,  the  name  of  the  seller,  the  name  and  residence  of  the 
buyer,  the  name  of  the  article,  quantity  sold  or  disposed  of  and  the 
purpose  for  which  it  is  said  to  be  intended. 
As  to  the  first  exemption  in  favor  of  physicians.  I  believe  the 
sentiment  among  physicians  is  against  dispensing  their  own  medi- 
cines and  where  the  allopath  does  supply  his  patients  with  medicine, 
it  is  largely  because  his  homoeopathic  brother  has  forced  the  com- 
petition, yet  the  physician  is  only  paying  back  in  kind  for  has  not 
